The Omega Ark
by Obsidainsoul4
Summary: Where the hell am I? Follow the adventures of Jean through this strange land called The Omega Ark. Watch as he fights new, horrific beasts and monsters from prehistoric earth along with some plucked straight from mythology. It is up to him to prevent the rise of the Herald's Light, a legion of humans hell-bent on enslaving the free tribes of the Ark. But what hero is ever alone?
1. Chapter 1: Not a Bad Dream

My eyes fluttered open to reveal great trees reaching for a dark clouded sky as a low rumble of thunder shook the ground. My head pounded from what I thought was a hangover from last night's party. Damn my friends for talking me into drinking so much before work. Then I realized I wasn't in my bed. I sat straight up and started looking seems that I am in what I can only guess is a Red Wood forest, but that's impossible because the nearest red wood forest in almost 2,000 miles away from Louisiana. I got to my feet with the grace of a newborn fawn, nearly busting my ass before I got vertical. A strange cry comes from somewhere behind me, making me jump nearly out of my skin. I turn to face what ever made that horrific sound to find nothing but bushes rustling and several soft squeaks seeming to come from my near right. I turned my head to the right ever so slowly to find a...a dodo?

I walk over to it and squat to get a better look after rubbing my eyes to make sure I was not going crazy. Yeah, it's a fucking dodo standing before my eyes, feathers, beak and feathers were of a soft grey color and silver, with a beak of a dull black. It seemed friendly enough as a reached my hand out to make sure it of the corporeal world. When all of the sudden, the bushes exploded in a mass of feathers and scales a large bipedal reptile jumped onto the poor little fella. I jumped back in shock and horror as I watched the damned thing shake the poor dodo bloody in its tooth filled maw. The little bird squawked and squeaked before falling silent and limp. The beast dropped the poor thing's broken form to the dirt and started to tear into it, filling the air with the sickening sounds of torn meat and crunching bone.

I slowly start backpedaling away from the blood bath when the creature raises its head and looks in my direction. I swallow hard as it starts charging towards me hissing.I turn and start sprinting like hell as it closed the gap between us. I prepare myself for the worse when I slam into something scaly and hard. I look up to see another large bipedal reptile before me. It turns its horned head to face me and lets out a guttural roar sending large splotches of spittle into my face. My ears ring from the loud cacophony of what I just realized is a Carnotaurus.

In the five seconds it takes me to realize I'm in danger, it turns to take a bite out of me. I lunge for the dirt just as the creature that was chasing me leaped for my back. I hit the dirt hard, sending the air from my lungs. I then turned over on my back to see the two beasts locked in combat. I lay there watching as the Carno and what I finally realized was a large raptor tear into each other. The raptor scratched and clawed at the eyes of the larger carnivore. The two blood thirsty creatures ripped into each other as I laid there still in shock as to what I was seeing. A real life Carno and a raptor fighting right before my very eyes.

The huge brute of a dinosaur bit down hard on the smaller combatants arm, tearing it clean wit h a spray of crimson. The little raptor yelped in pain but continued to bite and slash using its long sickle claws to render deep gouges into the Carno's face. The raptor shifted its body higher trying to get a better angle on its larger foe, maybe going for a throat strike to make a decisive kill. The raptor plunged its large retractable claw deep into the Carno's right eye drawing a fountain of blood from the now destroyed orb. The great beast let out a earth shattering cry of pain that rattled the very air from my chest, as it charged head long for the giant tree. The poor raptor had no way to get free before...Crunch. The Carno slammed its head into the tree with the raptor pinned between the two hulking masses. The sickening wet sound of bones shattering echoed through the forest as the raptor let its final breath go. The Carno reared in pain and ran from the area to nurse its wounds.

I approached the now still broken form of the raptor that laid half in a pile at the base of the tree. Its form was twisted and had two large puncture marks from the Carno's horns. I knelt beside it because I still couldn't fully believe what I was seeing. I must have stood there for almost 10 minutes before something pulled me back to the real world. A large crack of thunder shook the ground and pulled me back into the real world. I knew I needed to find shelter and quickly, so I started to venture through the great forest hoping to God there was some kind of civilization nearby. I walked for what seemed like 15 minutes or so before something caught my eye. It was a rope ladder, just hanging out here in the middle of the forest. My eyes followed it up to its source, a large ring like platform that encompassed one of the trees about 100 feet up. I approached the base of the ladder as I heard more of the barking like sounds the raptor made in the fight with the Carno. I hurried and climbed up the raggedy rope ladder because I would have preferred a death by falling then being torn limb from limb by those hungry beasts. After a few moments, I made it to the platform. Starting to feel the fatigue of having my adrenaline high wear off, I flopped onto the wooden planks life a fish out of water. I laid there a few moments to allow my body to come to terms with the fact that it was now nearly starved of energy and calories. Finally, I willed myself to my feet and noticed the building that was build closer to the trunk of the tree. I got to my feet and walked closer on shacking legs half expecting something to come flying out at me. I reached the door and gave it a good knock and waited for a response. None came, so I tested the door knob and found it to be unlocked, to my surprise. I opened the door to find a bleak and dusty room with a bed and some kind of work bench in the corner. I took a few steps in before I noticed the skeleton slumped in the corner. I started my approach before I tripped on something and hit the floor hard.

"Son of a Bitch!" I cursed at the top of my lungs as I grabbed my knee. I looked down to see a large knife tangled up by my curved blade glistened in the light that trickled in from a crack in the wooden roof. I reached and plucked it from its resting place. I ran my hand along its smooth surface, the blade still held its biting edge. Such fine craftsmanship, I wonder if the person in the corner was the maker of such a lovely blade. I get back to my feet and continue to look around the cabin. Before long the rain starts to come down with a force that seemed to defy the natural world but then again I had seen worse with some of the hurricanes back home. Home, would I ever see it again or would I become just another victim to the ravages of this strange land I have found myself trapped in? I guess only time would tell. I eventually found something to start a fire with and lit several of the old torches, those that would light that is, so I could get a better few of where I had found myself. There was a work bench with some scarps of hide and metal strung about it. A bed that actually looked quite comfortable, but maybe that was just because I was completely worn out. I also found several glass jars that were filled with water. I dumped them out and allowed them to refill in the downpour. I searched for something to eat and stumbled upon a cash of dried meet that seemed to be okay to eat. It was salty and dry but lord it was good. After a few hours, I found myself lying on the bed, fighting to keep my eyes open. I eventually drifted off to sleep, not knowing what tomorrow would hold. My sole company, a curved blade in its sheath. Off on the work bench, just under a small piece of leather, lay a strange diamond shaped metal device that began to give off a faint glow of azure light.

**Authors Note: Disclaimer: Ark: Survival Evolved is owned by Studio Wildcard. I do not own any rights or profits to the game. Please support the official release. This is my very first fan-fiction and I am trying to receive feed back on my writing style to help become a better writer. Please comment and share if you find an interest in this story. Please favorite and subscribe for more. Thank you very much.**


	2. Chapter 2: A New Day

The early morning sun seeped through a crack in the wooden wall, and found its way straight into my closed eyes. With a groan, I sit up from the makeshift bed feeling every ache in my sore body converge all at once. Memories of the day before flooded back into my mind again as I realized, I wasn't in my bed. I really am in some lost world of dinosaurs and God knows what else. As I climb out of the bed, a bright shimmer of blue catches my eye from the work bench. I approach to the sound of my knee caps popping.

I move the thin sheet of leather to discover a strange diamond shaped metallic item producing it. I look at it closely and pick it up and study its intricate design. It is warm to the touch and seems to have pulse with a strange energy that causes a slight tingling in my hand. It seemed to be a two piece mechanism with a ridged outside shell and what seemed to be a smaller button like center. I thumbed the center portion and a beam of blue light came from the upper tip of the item and cast itself onto the wooden top of the workbench. The light flickered a few times before it cleared up revealing a blueprint of some kind. My eyes roamed over the shimmering form and noticed the title of the print.

"Raptor saddle?" I asked myself. Was it possible to tame such a wild creature? My eyes drifted to the left and noticed there is a tab called " Notes". I brush it will my fingers and a new screen replaced the current one. It was categorized into six neat sections. The "Danger" tab seemed to be promising and contained a plethora of information on the different fauna and flora of the near by areas. Pretty common stuff like what berries to eat and which ones not to as well as a list of all the dinosaurs in this area. Most of the names I recognized and there were several that had a symbol by their name. From the legend I deciphered that the symbols meant if weather or not they worked in packs. The other tab was called helpful recipes and included over two dozen different files in it. It had everything from food recipes to something called "Narcotics". I would have to look more into this. Then there was the tab called constructions. It contained several tabs of its own including: building, crafting, tools, weapons, and saddles. This would come in a great deal of usefulness hopefully, if I lived that long, that is.

The fourth tab was labeled experiences. It contained a journal of sorts for the previous own, whom I guess was the person that was laying in the corner. Turns out her name was Lilly and she had been injured in an attempt to tame a terror bird pack. It didn't go well from what I read and I'm guessing she sat down in the corner after she wrote the final note and didn't ever get back up. I felt that I owed her a proper burial after all, it was the least I could do, because she did leave a fine set of items and data that may just help me survive. The fifth tab was labeled map and was just that. It had several different areas marked on it to symbolize good areas to gather things. There was one spot on the map marked "Religious Nuts" that sent up a red flag in my mind but I don't plan on checking it out just yet.

The final tab was named Taming. This file held a few dozen different entries from Lilly's attempts to tame the different creatures in the local area. After about fifteen minutes of reading I found that she was only successful ones in the taming of a raptor. But once it was tamed it seemed undying loyal to her and never left her side for very long. I guess it didn't survive her last trip and probably gave her the chance to escape. From the rest of the notes, it turns out that narcotics are a form of tranquilizers and it could be applied to arrows to put creatures to sleep. This was somehow I could tame creatures. This was all making as much since to me as this whole land did but I guess this is how it's going to go. Her notes stated to always bring extra narcotics to make sure the creature stayed asleep long enough for the taming process to complete.

I pressed the center node again and the light retreated back to its origin. This device would become quiet helpful to my survival. I placed it back into its spot and grabbed another slice of jerk. I walked out into the fresh morning air, while I chewed on my chunk of jerky as I survey the area. The scent of rain was still fresh in the air with a nice breeze coming in taking the humidity with it. I walked the perimeter of the platform to get a better view of what is around. On the back side of the platform I find a strange contraption. I walk closer and inspect it with curiosity, it was a simple lever that seemed to be attached to a pully system of some kind. I pulled the lever and heard the sound of ropes and pullies whirled around me and a small platform floated up in front of me with a lever on it. I walked onto it and take a deep breathe before pulling the lever, fully prepared to drop out of the sky. But to my pleasant surprise, it slowly lowered me back to the ground 100 feet below.

Once on the ground, I walked back to the base of the tree making sure I wasn't in danger of being pounced by something bity. I looked for a spot with soft ground so digging wouldn't be so hard. I found the good spot right between two of the large roots. I walked back to the elevator and ascended back to the top. I searched around and found a flat round blade that would do well for a shovel. After about ten minutes, I have something close enough to a shovel. I went back to the ground as it started to drizzle.

"Well at least I'll stay cool while I dig." I say with a smile as I break the fresh dirt. After about an hour or so, I finish my task of digging and I lay her to her final resting place. I placed a cross with her name carved into it in the most elegant way I could.

"You don't know me but you have saved my life for the most part. And for that I thank you, Lilly. May you rest in peace." I refill the grave and pat the dirt smooth before I go and pick some wild flowers. I walk back and place them upon her grave before I make my way back to the elevator. When I reached the top the rain kicked up again, good thing I guess seeing how I stunk to high heaven and needed one hell of a bath. I searched around for something that could be used as soap. My attention fell back upon the strange metal device. I activated it and went it the recipe tab and found that to me seemed to be soap called Castile. After about 15 minutes of searching, I found a jar labeled the same the same thing and opened it. It had a soft fruity fragrance to it. I walked out into the nice heavy down pour. After a few moments of cleaning myself, I returned inside to dry myself by the fire I had built in the stone forge she had made. She must have been one skilled woman to have completed all of this on her own, I thought to myself. Yawning, I nibbled on the last bits of jerky that was left.

" I will have to hunt for some meat tomorrow. I do not enjoy that idea one bit." I said to myself realize that I was still alone. " I really don't need to make a habit of talking to myself." I smiled to myself as I laid back down to sleep. I felt I had done a fair bit of work today and deserved a nice long sleep. I gently drifted of to slumber still clutching that lovely blade with the bone handle. Before I fell completely asleep, I caught the smell of something burning. A sweet meaty scent carried on the breeze. It filled me with both a feeling of hopefulness of other people but a sense of dread that I could not explain.

Somewhere to the East. A woman lay tied to a stake sobbing and pulling at the iron chains that bind her wrists. A man in a white shirt approaches her. She sees the black symbol of a Rex's skull on a background of red flames.

" I have done no wrongs! I swear my lord I have served you faithfully." She cries to him. " Please have mercy and do not allow me to burn." The man chuckles at her pleas. He takes her cheek softly in his hand and smiles.

"Child we know what you did. You have played spy for the wild men of this world for far too long. And you must atone for your sins against the Lord's faithful. Fear not though, for he is a kind and forgiving God. He shall receive you with open and open graces." He spoke with a voice as soft as silk. He walked from her and took the torch from the man plated in white plate mail. " Now you shall be an example to all who dare oppose the Herald's of Light." As he spoke, every man, woman, and child poured into the center of the village. It was common place for all to watch a heretic burn. He tossed the torch at her feet and it caught the kindling ablaze.

"You crazy bastards will never control them." She screamed as the flames danced around her feet. " They will never be conquered by the likes of you. And if you think you can control the gods of this place you are sadly mistaken. I'll gladly watch you burn for this, Marcus." The flames grew higher consuming her as she let out her final scream of desperation. "They will claim you. And you will burn at his fury!" With those final words, another life had be claimed by Marcus. He turned from the blaze and walked back towards his tent. As he opened it he admired his items of interest. Three strange Artifacts of this world.

**Authors Note: Disclaimer: Ark: Survival Evolved is owned by Studio Wildcard. I do not own any rights or profits to the game. Please support the official release.**


	3. Chapter 3: A Phantom in the Fog

My thumb pressed the center node of the device, activating the projection system. The main menu flashed to life, an icon in the upper left-hand corner blinked. With a cocked eyebrow, I pressed the icon and a new page opened. A new blue print showing some kind of bracer. The instructions were detailed to an extreme level including some electrical wiring. I searched the work bench and found all the materials, must have been a project Lilly was working on at one point. Over the next four hours, I followed the blueprints instructions to the letter, bending wire and stitching leather. By the end, I had a bracer with a slot just the same shape and size of device. I placed the bracer on my fore arm and tie it tight feeling it contour to the muscles of my arm. I took a few moments to admire my handy work. The inner circuitry of the socket glimmer and glisten in the early morning light. I stood and began to stretch, feeling every tendon and ligament pull tight before releasing. I let out a loud groan as I began to walk towards the cabinet to get more food. I open the door and to my utter displeasure, it was empty.

"Shit!" I groaned in annoyance, as the thought of me having to go and hunt down food crept through my mind like sludge. The idea of being down in the forest trying to catch some game did not seem pleasurable to me in any way or form. I walked back to the workbench and grab the device and flip it over to examine it better and notice a connection node. I placed it face up into the bracer and heard a click as it began to glow. It hummed, sending vibrations up my arm and deep into my chest. It soon came to a stop and a soft voice filled the air.

"Systems online and fully functional." It cooed in a sweet feminine voice. I looked around to find the source of the voice before realizing it was coming from the device on my arm.

"Ummm was that you?" I asked with deep interest.

"Yes, Jean it was I that spoke. Good to finally meet you in verbal terms, I am Nora and I am here to assist you with survival." It spoke with a hint of joy in its mechanical voice.

"Why haven't you spoken before?" I asked.

"I was unable to speak, but thanks to the rudimentary speaker system you created I am allowed to finally vocalize myself." It broad-casted with great pride as well as what was a hint of relief. I looked at the blue machine that now sat on my arm. This was an amazing development that would hopefully pay off in the end. My stomach let out a loud growl filling the silence. I sighed grabbing the knife and strapping it to my belt before I continued to the work bench. I scattered the materials hoping to find some form of weapon or blade, something that would give me an edge in hunting. After a few moments I found nothing but shards of what looked like arrowheads that had broken a long time ago. Surprisingly, no rust had accumulated onto them in the past couple of years. But then again, I had no clue what kind metal these tools were made of. I let out a deep sigh and looked at the shovel I had resting near the door frame. I could use that as a blunt object and bludgeon something to the point to where I could the get close and slit its throat. I didn't like the idea at all, but I needed food before I got weak from a lack of calories. I walked over to the elevator and pushed the lever. As I started to descend towards the ground, Nora chimed in.

"Dodos are very common in the small field that is located due south of our location as of 35 years ago. Things may have changed in the time since, but I would suggest going there first." She finished as I landed on the ground.

"Thank you for the advice, Nora." I said quietly as I started off in the direction, she recommended. I walked quickly and quietly trying not to attract attention and luckily it paid off. I made it to the field without a single hiccup, and I knew I hit the jackpot when squawking started filling the air. As I crested the small hill, my jaw nearly dropped as I saw at least 20 Dodos before me. I felt a smile claim my face as its home as I hoisted the shovel over my shoulder. I strolled down and watched them squawk and scratch at the ground as they ate berries and grasses. After a few minutes of observation, I found one that wondered slightly further from the group then the rest. I approached slowly and then while it wasn't looking, I raised the shovel high above my head.

"Sorry little friend, hope this doesn't hurt but I need a few meals." I spoke softly as brought the flat of the shovel to the back of its head. It let out a strangled squawk and started to wobble as it ran from me. I gave chase and slammed the shovel down into its head again, rendering it completely unconscious. My hand found itself grasping a handle that was ornately carved from bone. I slipped the blade free from its sheath and knelt beside the limp form of the tiny bird. Placing the blade to its throat I prepared to finish the job when out of nowhere, Nora spoke again.

"Specimen is primed for taming process." Her voice caught me off guard and the knife fell free from my grasp to land softly in the soil. Finally coming back fully to reality, I glanced down at my arm.

"What do you mean?" I asked curiously as I sat beside the knife.

"The specimen is in a good condition to be tamed. To start this process, please acquire some Azul berries. Roughly 25 berries should be an adequate amount to tame the specimen."

"What are Azul berries pray tell?" I asked with a bit of snark. It was obvious that the lack of food was making cranky.

"Azul berries are a small blue colored berry that can be found on local bushes." As she finished, I stood and started searching for the berries. After a while, I found a bush full of them and gathered as many I could and carried them back to the Dodo's location. "Taming will take 1:12:59 to complete. In the mean time I recommend hunting for more meat in order to complete your task and make you less cranky." She chimed in a smug voice. I stood and went about hunting.

After a little over an hour, I had four dead Dodos all gutted and cleaned and started a fire to make me a nice meal. I took a bite of the leg and as much as I hate to admit it, it tasted like chicken. I smiled as I took another bite enjoying the feeling of the sun in my skin as it crept higher in the sky. It was a clear and beautiful day, despite all the death. I grabbed my water jar from the bag and took another swig.

"Tame will complete in 0:04:00." Nora chimed in after being silent a long time. During the taming process I had to stop and give the Dodo food every so often due to, as Nora put it, an increase in metabolic requirements due to chemical rewriting. Not fully sure on how this work, but from what I could gather, Nora hacks into the brain of the animal and does some kind of chemical change that causes them to see me as one of their pack. I found this to be amazing. This really takes the effort out of breeding 50 generations of an animal to domesticate it.

After a few moments, the Dodo raised its head and squawked at me. It stood up and walked over to me brushing its soft, downy feathered head against my arm. I placed a hand gently against the golden tufts of feathers on his head. He cooed and chirped with each pat.

"Would you like to give him a name for your file system?" Nora inquired. I sat there for several moments thinking of a possible name.

"I'll call him Au you know, after the chemical symbol for gold?" I said with a small chuckle. It was a stupid name but then again, I have never been that creative.

"Name has been recorded and placed into the files. We should be heading home soon. This is around the time large carnivores tend to hunt." Nora chimed. I stood and started to pack up my little camp I made. Within five minutes, I was leaving with Au in tow. As we got to the edge of the tree line, a thunderous roar rippled through the air. I turned in its direction to see a familiar beast. A green Carno with red markings streaking up hits body, wounds still fresh on its muzzle. But the missing eye is what really confirmed its identity to me.

"Vieux Oeil." I spoke calmly not realizing I just spoke in French.

"What does that mean Jean?" asked Nora but I ignored her just staring at the Carno before coming back to the real world.

"Huh?" I asked startled, not realizing she had asked something. "Oh, its French for Old One Eye. Guess even he needs a name." I watched him for a few moments as he chomped on some Dodos. Each Bite seemed to cause him pain, but I guess that's what happens when your face is torn up like that. We soon left because I did not feel like having another close encounter with him. On our way home, I began to collect Narco berries as Nora advised. We came across the corpse of the broken raptor from my first day here, or at least what was left. Nora suggested I gathered some spoiled meat from it in order to mark Narcotics for taming.

The sun was setting by the time I finished my gathering and setting the meats to cure. I was exhausted and smelled like a boar. As if on cue, the rain started again, and I went into it to enjoy a nice wash. Afterwards, I crawled into my bed and was about to pass out when Au started to throw a fit.

"What do you want?" I almost barked at him. "I'm exhausted and want sleep, you dumb bird." I looked at him as he chirped and barked at me from the floor. He hoped towards me bouncing off the side of the bed and sprawling out on the floor squawking. "Do you want on the bed?" I asked him. Au looked at me tilting his head back and forth. I reached down and scooped him up, placing him beside me. Shortly thereafter, we were both out cold. As the night came, so to did a dense fog.

The next morning, I woke up and began my work on making narcotics and arrows. After a few hours of work, I had about 50 arrows made. I wiped the sweat from my brow as I sat at the work bench. I had found what I presume was to become a bow and soon had a cord crafted for it. For the first time today, I opened the door of the little shack and noticed that visibility was reduced to about 15 feet ahead of me.

"This is not the best weather to attempt practice with this bow." I spoke out loud. A twig snapped somewhere off to my left. My body jerked in its direction, eyes darting around the dull grey fog, trying to lock onto its source. But the fog's thickness was way too much for my eyes to pick anything out of it. I looked around for several seconds, the hairs on the back of my neck stood. I knew I was being stalked.

I rushed inside and grabbed the arrows and bow and headed back outside. Notching an arrow, I slowly walked into the fog. With each step, I could swear I heard something stalking in the fog. Something landed on the platform with a soft thud. I wouldn't have noticed, if not for the vibration traveling through the wooden platform. It was from the other side of the tree trunk by the elevator. I pulled the string taut and aimed down the arrow and began my methodical approach. I precisely placed each step subconsciously, my breathing becoming almost invisible. My eyes caught a flash of movement and I released the arrow, praying it finds its mark. A large yowl breaks the silence, and I see the large fur covered beast charging me down.

"Aw fuck me," Is all I could get out before I back peddled off the edge of the platform and slipped falling backwards. I saw the solid white creature fly past me as I fell backwards. My life flashed before my eyes as I fell before I was jerked by my leg upwards.

"Son of a Bitch!" I cried as I realized my foot got hooked in the rope ladders rung. I laid there hanging upside down for several moments as my back screamed at me in agony. I looked around to get my bearings but to my avail, I was surrounded by white. "At least that thing is likely dead." I spoke softly to myself. But then I head the sound of something clawing a tree straight in front of me. "No fucking way that thing jumped all the way over there." I righted myself on the ladder, only to realize my arrows and bow had both fallen to the ground. "Damn-it." I breathed, as I climbed down to the ground below. There they were, scattered across the ground, my arrows and my bow. Thank God nothing was broken. I gathered the arrows and stuck them back in my quiver.

I turned to my right, and there it was. A large white tiger-bear thing clinging to the large redwood in front of me. Its eyes were locked on me, calculating its leap. If that thing hits me, it was going to be game over. I quickly notched another arrow and let it fly without much aiming. It struck the creature square between its front shoulders. It roared in annoyance and launched towards me. Luckily, I had just enough time to dodge it by rolling out of the way. The creature crashed hard into the ground with a thump. Getting back to my feet, I unleashed another arrow into its hide. It seemed to be becoming drowsy, as it shook its head and stumbled about. It began to turn on me but within moments I clustered 3 more into its side, bringing it down.

"God, you are a big bastard." I chuckled as I got closer to it.

"It's a female actually, Jean. She is a perfect level tame and would make a great addition." Chimed in Nora. "Interesting, she is an albino. She would take a few hours and about 30 pounds of meat to finish the process."

"An albino female what, exactly?" I asked her. "Also, what do you mean by perfect level tame?"

"Thylacoleo furtimorsus, a large species of carnivorous marsupial. And by looking at her genetic codes I can tell how well she is in physical health. It is surprising because she is an albino. Hmm interesting to note." She said as if she found the animal more interesting than I did.

"Well, at least the fog is clearing. I should go do some hunting for some meat to tame her. How well is she knocked out?"

"It would be advised to feed her more narcotics in order to keep her under for taming which will take 6:00:00." She chimed as I removed the arrows from the Thyla's body. I gather my last few tools and went to hunting. I found a trail of blood about 400 feet from my home. I tracked it and found a wounded raptor who looked like it took an ass whooping from a trike. I pulled the bow string tight and fired a shot straight into its chest cavity. It let out a hiss and a screech before stumbling a few feet and collapsing. I approached with another arrow notched and ready. It laid there wheezing and clutching at the ground. My arrow must have caught it in the lungs not the heart like I had planned. I lowered my bow and pulled my knife. I approached it from its back, providing myself the protection of not being on the side with the claws. I got close and stabbed down hard into the meaty tissue that made up the creature's bulky neck. It let out one last gurgled screech as blood overtook its air ways. I slipped the blade down slicing through its spinal column, severing its vital wiring. Its body shuddered and faded quickly.

I dragged the raptor with me back to the Thyla over the course of the next 15 minutes. Panting, I gave the Thyla its first feeding and then went to fetch more narcotics from my stash. I then proceeded to sit and wait for the next 5:35:00 preforming the feedings and giving it narcotics as needed.

"How much longer?" I asked Nora while cleaning my blood covered hands.

"Almost finished roughly 3 minutes until done." She chimed. I stood and went to the elevator. Before I could ask her the next question, something pounced on me biting and scratching me. I turned over and pulled my knife to find a raptor trying to tear me to shreds.

"You mother fucking bastard." I screamed as its claws sunk into my fore arm. I swung at it with my knife trying to land a wound but couldn't keep my arms from my throat because it was trying to tear it out. I swung a hard, right hook only to find my knuckles ringing in pain. "Fuck you!" I barked as I felt the blood lose and adrenaline taking their tolls on me. Just as I thought my life was over, something slammed the raptor hard, making it squawk like a Dodo. The next thing I noticed was the sound of bones being crushed and the sound of death.

I rolled to my side to watch as the Thyla completely destroyed the raptor. I slowly got to my feet as blood trickled down my arms and soaked into my shirt. My heart nearly stopped as the Thyla turned her pink eyes on me again, with a look of precision and killer instinct.

"Oh no, now your gonna kill me? Huh?" I asked her as she released the limp raptors neck. Its upper body slamming to the dirt in a broken slump, its head rolling to one side at an angle that was unnatural. She approached me, blood soaking her muzzle. I stepped back away from her and help my knife up shaking in my arms. "I swear this won't be an easy fight for you." I spoke this lie trying to seem intimidating. The adrenaline leaving my system was making me weak as paper and if she wanted me dead there wasn't a way in hell that I could stop her.

She crouched down, ready to pounce. I closed my eyes and waited, knowing that at least if she killed me, it would be nearly painless. But the pounce never came. I cracked an eye and looked at her. She was laying there, on her back, waiting for a belly rub.

"What?" I was so shocked that I nearly fell to the ground as I looked at this almost 500 pound killing machine waiting on me to come rub her belly. I started laughing my ass off. I walked over and rubber her belly feeling her breathing and letting out something like a purr leave her. "Nora, record in the files her name is Lilith."

"Lilith, confirmed Jean." Nora seemed happy at my shocked reaction. "She is your loyal friend and will protect you with her life. Also, you can now access a new saddle blueprint for her." We walked back onto the elevator and headed back up so I could patch my arms up. After about thirty minutes of holding pressure and cleaning wounds, I was almost right as rain. I sat beside Lilith and nearly passed out from exhaustion.


	4. Chapter 4: The Looming Dawn

The morning dew was still wet on the ground as I pulled my bow string tight, the sun just having broken the crest of the mountain.I knew the predator was in the area where I was presence was unnatural and causing my usual prey to scatter away from this seemed to be a medium sized reptilian carnivore from the shape of its footprints.

A hollow thunking sound resonated from the tall grass at the edge of the eyes drifted across the grounds that lie before me as the shadows from the trees in the early morning sun danced across my scarred arms, the fresh scar tissue still a light shade of had only been two weeks since I was attacked by the raptor while taming Lilith, but they are healed like it was a month place gets stranger and stranger but oh well I will survive.

My mind flashed back to the first night after the attack. I laid in agony and fear praying that the wounds would heal and that an infection wouldn't take my life, like it had done to next 24 hours would be critical to my survival.I cleaned and treated the wounds as well as eating the liver of several of the Dodos that Lilith had brought god she knew how to kill and retrieve without maiming the bird too badly. To my surprise, the Dodo liver tasted well with an Azure juice drink.

Reality came back into focus as I saw the dull grey and red plumage of a terror seems like I need more practice on identifying tracks of the other large hooked bill of the beast was raised high as it tracked the scent trail, I laid using a freshly killed dodo. It placed its beak down and followed the trail towards the little out cove that I was hiding in.

The terror bird spotted the corpse hanging from the branch of a lone tree standing 30 or so feet from me.I closed my left eye and took the exhale, I let the string slip from my arrow flew through the thick morning air finding its target. It nestled right into the softer flesh of the creature's throat, striking a fatal a loud clacking of its beak, the terror bird tried to run but soon found itself choking on its own mixture of blood and phlegm.

Smiling, I climbed down from the tree and proceeded to walk over to my now gasping my knife, I kneeled by the wounded animal.I looked into its pleading eyes as I slit its jugular in one clean seconds, the terror bird laid back to my feet, I whistled for Lilith, who came bounding from the underbrush.

She ran up and laid down waiting for her treat.I cut chunk of the breast from the dodo and offered it to her with my open palm. "Here girl, you earned it my dear." I spoke softly as she grabbed it gently from my hand and crunched it down.I soon had the terror bird field dressed and ready to time, I took some of its small intestine to try and make some sausage to smoke.

As I packed up my bag and made sure the carcass was secyred to Lilith's saddle, my mind began to drift off to the accomplishments of this past week. Yesterday, I got a smoke box set up to help keep my food well as gathered up 90 percent of the materials I needed to make a preservation I have to do next is make a mixture known as spark powder which I gathered all the materials for. Next thing I would need to finish doing, is set up my water system so that I could have hot water on the would be tricky, I could maybe set up a tank and paint it would allow me to use the suns rays to heat the water and give me a nice hot shower if winter ever comes.

Lilith's equivalent of purring pulled me back to the reality around me.I smiled as I scratched her ear and climbed into the ride home was quiet and is, until we ran into old one eye. His scaly hide was drinking from our river as we gave us a gruff roar; which Lilith returned a growl of her own, showing no fear.

We made it home and unpacked before I headed down towards the small that I had been using to wash up in. After stripping down, I settled into the nice cool water allowing it to pull away the heat and tension from the day's I found myself becoming drowsy and not wanting to pass out, out here alone, I climbed out of the water and got dressed.

As I was about to start my journey back home, a twig broke to my right.I turned to see a man standing there with a large sword.

"Um howdy?" I stammered out as he approached. "You're the first person I've met out here."Before I could ask a name, he swung his blade down towards luck, my reflexes jerked me out of harms way. "What the fuck is your problem, you asshat?" I barked as he took another swing at me that I dodges with ease.

"Die heretic!" he barked as he lunged for another strike.I pulled my knife after finally having enough of this bullshit.I sidestepped his strike and ran my blade down the length of his blade bit deep, drawing large gushes of deep yelped in pain as he pulled left arm was for the most part useless now due to the freshly slashed grabbed what looked like a trike horn form his belt and blew into it like a a few seconds three more men arrived on the back of raptors.

Before I know it, I had an arrow deep in my leg.I tried to take off running but I could feel a numbness creeping its way through my leg.I realized too late that I had been vision began to blur."Lilifffff" I slurred as the numbness swallowed my face soon found comfort in the dirt as my eyes slammed shut from their own weight.

A cold splash of water hit my face, helping me come back to the land of the living.I soon began looking around before I noticed I'm tied to a on the ropes, I find myself not alone.A young woman is tied to my left, her hair long and blackish brown.I noticed faint stains of red on her I notice him, a man in a white approached and I saw the great symbol on his shirt, a black Rex skull on a background of red flames.

He spoke with a soft sweetness that made my skin crawl. "Welcome to my lovely home. My name is Marcus. And you are?"

**Authors Note: Disclaimer: Ark: Survival Evolved is owned by Studio Wildcard. I do not own any rights or profits to the game. Please support the official release.** ** Sorry for the delay in posting. A lot has come up in the past few months but i shall be posting regularly again. thank you for all the support. **


	5. Chapter 5: I'M Not Alone

Well here I am, tied to a post, my head pounding like a jackhammer, with some asshat standing over me with a shit eating grin.

"Well?" he asked as we got closer to me. "what is your name?" I really wanted to spit in his had the demeanor of someone who was so full of himself he thought he couldn't do anything wrong.

"My name is Jean. And I guess you're the boss of the asswagon who tried to cut me in half?How are his arms?I don't think he liked it when I started kicking his ass in our sword fight." I retorted trying to seem smug.

"He is actually doing just fine and really would love to come play with you some first I want to know where you got this." He held up my bracer with Nora in jaw clenched in annoyance at the idea of them having all that information for some reason unknown to me.

"Found it in the woods. Why does it matter?" I watched him walked back and forth trying to get Nora to activate. But she refused to turn crawled onto his face like a giant slimy slug. This brought me some joy.

"It was mine and someone stole it from me.I've been looking for her for some time now. Where is she?" He turned to me with a bit of rage in his eyes. "Where is Lilly?"

"What did she not enjoy your lustrous asinine attitude?Did you ask her to be your life partner and she told you no?" My remark earned me a mean right hook to the jaw that rang my whole head.I smiled and chuckle. "More sire, please sire?"He struck me again and again, getting more pissed with each strike. I just smiled as blood trickled between my lips and onto my shirt. "Did I strike a nerve pretty boy?"

"You will show me respect!" He barked like a rabid dog. "I am Marcus, the harbinger of of the chosen people, the man chosen to clean this world of filth like you."He was fuming by now; his face bright red and I could only smile and laugh.

"God damn your easy to here is the breaking news Mr. Harbinger. She is dead.I personally saw to burying her. And as of the moment I want to get up and kick you in the balls for acting like a child." That earned me another strike to the side of the head.

"Watch your mouth heretic. Les I carve your tongue from your mouth." He knelt down to my level and looked me dead in the eye. "Well I guess I should thank you for burying that harlet... she was a real bit..." A large globule of spit mixed with blood caught him square in the eye, making him reel backwards.

"Don't speak of the dead that way in front of me." My voice was flat and cold. I could tell from his eyes that this was going to cost me a lot.

He stood and spoke. "Come grab him."Two large men walked in and picked me up from the pole and drug me out of the building.I could hear him following behind us."Let's make an event for this heretic. Bring him to the pit and gathered everyone."They drug me to this large arena that was dug about several feet into the ground with higher walls around the a great shove, I found myself on my belly in the sand.

The first thing I recognized was that they had cut my hands free before tossing me second was the overwhelming sent of sand around me was stained dark crimson with the blood of god knows how many people.I scrambled to my feet as people began to crowd into the stands around the were whoops and cheers flowing in from the crowd as Marcus approached the raised raised his hands and the crowds fell deathly silent.

"Fellow Children of the Light," he bellowed to the crowd. "I have brought this heretic to justice. And he shall pay for his crimes." The crowd cheered as I made a slow way out of this hell hole.I turned back to him. "Let's see how long this heretic can last in a battle against our greatest a big round of applause for the twins!" The crowd cheered as a large gate opened on the far side of the pit. I stepped back as two raptors stalked forward, their hides painted bright white and hissed as the sun shinned on their faces.

Marcus looked down at me. "Try not to die to quickly, will you?" His smirk made my skin crawl again.I raised my fist and let a single finder raise showing him my truest feelings.A loud whistle ripped through the air and the raptors began their assault.

The first one was on me in seconds, it tried to pounce on me, but I dodged to the right feeling the ache in my muscles, as the sedatives were still being purged from my raptor turned its head and started after me again kicking up a spray of sand with its hind step was like I was lugging around with a lead weight strapped to each limb and the sand didn't bare foot hit something hard and I tripped, eating a mouth full of I guess that was to my benefit because as I laid flat the raptor flew past me.I scurried to my hands and knees as the crowd cheered and yelled for my death.

I started to crawl away when my hand found what had tripped me, a femur. I stood and began to run again, as the second raptor began to give chase.I crouched low and grabbed a hand full of sand before turning to face posture is crouched low as they watch me for any kind of movement.

"Well? Come on you bastards." I shouted as I waved my arms hoping they would take the bait.A smile crept onto my face as one rushed toward me, head it was in range, I unleashed the hand full of sands straight into its eyes pulling a yelp of pain from its throat as I shifted to the never saw the wall behind me and smashed its head straight into the metal plating of the two feet thick twin gave chase to me as I ran back towards the bone.

I turned just as it jumped on back slammed hard into the sand but I held my air in and positioned myself so it couldn't get its claws into my body.I learned my lesson from the last time I fought a raptor.I grabbed another hand of sand and slammed it straight into its eyes causing it to pull back and scream in pain trying to rub the irritant from its raw eyes.I reached above me and grabbed the femur just as the raptor cleared its a large bark, it lunged to bite my all my might, I brought down the bone and smashes it into the snarling beast's bone snapped but also made the raptor pull back in pain as blood ran from its broken muzzle onto the larger piece, I slammed the sharp point straight through its eye driving it deep into its let out a dying yelp as I twisted the head of the bone as hard as I could letting out a primal fell beside me, never to move again.

I stood to see the other one finally getting up to its feet, blood still running down its now split head.I yanked the bone from the eye socket of the dead one and turned to face it.I could see its right eye was becoming caked in blood and sand preventing its my chance, I charged forward with a newfound vigor. It tried to turn to following me with its good eye, but I ran right past it and jumped onto the wall using the momentum of my jump to push myself onto its back.

Plunging my bone spike deep into its throat, with rapid stab brought forth a scream of pain and a gush of blood as it thrashed to try and get me off its loss soon took its toll bringing the creature to the ground.I stood with the blood-soaked bone in my hand and looking at the crowd I smiled.

"Are you not entertained!?" I shouted as everyone looked on in guards had me by my arms and placed me on my knees. I watched as Marcus approached me, my hunting knife in his hand.I smiled at him with the biggest smile. "Well did I do good?"

Cold steel was the answer I got as he pressed the blade to my throat.I could see that he wasn't used to losing his cool for no reason.

"You die here heretic. Pray to whatever u deem as your god."

"My ancestors smile down on me asshat, can you say the same?" I chortled back as he prepared to slit my throat.A scream broke our focus as a guard fell to the sand.I noticed the arrow sticking from his neck followed by gushes of arrows flew in striking the guards around me dropping them to the sand cold.

A man with a long ponytail stood on a tower firing took his aim at Marcus who turned to face him. He released the arrow with deadly accuracy but sadly Marcus was on a master level of his turned slightly letting the arrow past him hitting the sand.

"God won't let you harm me Zero." He bellowed as the figure retreated from his position. I placed a hand upon his shoulders, turning him to face me.

In shock, he stood face to face with me, stunned I was still standing. "What the fuc..." I cut him off with a swift knee to the groin, launching the air from his lungs with a sharp squeak as my kneecap found the family jewels.

"He may not be able to harm you but that doesn't mean I can't." I said with a smile as I watched him slip to the ground, his face finding the , my eyes fell upon the woman from the torture building holding a gate open shouting.

"Hurry the fuck up!" I snagged my dagger and took off towards escaped the gate and she handed me the bracer with Nora in it. "Here, now let's get out of here." She spoke quickly and nervously as we ran towards the group of archers sitting on raptors at the front jumped on and rode away quickly towards the outer most gate. A hooded figure with a bow on his back rode up beside us on a solid black we slipped under the gate, a single figure caught my eye on the wall.

The woman on the wall pulled back her bow string and took a smile, she released the arrow and watched it fly towards its mark.

I turned just in time to see the arrow flying its directly at glanced my arm.I winced as a new burning sensation crawled up my arm and a choked scream escaped my lips as we made the wood line. We didn't make it 100 feet into the wood line before I slipped from the saddle and everyone had to vision blurred and I broke into a sweat as what ever coated the blade coursed through my veins.I was soon wrapped in horrid dreams.

Zero looked at me with sadness. "He won't make it if we don't hurry." He knelt down to grab me when a large white figure burst through the wood line and straddled stood over me; hair raised ready to tear everyone backed away except Zero, who stood there, hands raised. "Easy girl we are down, he is sick, and we need to help him." Lilith slowly lowered herself and allowed Zero to place me on her back.

Later, I woke up in a cold sweat looking back and forth grasping around for my knife.I relaxed when I saw the giant ball of white fur lying beside Lilith's head, I took stock of was still intact, and I had all my gear from the fight with drifted in from outside the hut.I finally managed to get to my feet and make my way out, knees still wobbling as I noticed the man with the ponytail talking to the girl from the torture building.

She is the first to notice me standing there. "Your awake finally, how are you feeling?" She asked with what was genuine concern. I nodded as the guy turned towards me. What was his name again? Zero?

"Hey thanks for distracting the zealots for us so we could rescue Hera." Zero walked towards me a hand outstretched. "My name is Zero by the way and you are?"

"I'm Jean and it was no problem, I am I?" I asked as I shook his hand. He had a nice firm grip and kind eyes. Well kind for a man who just shot down at least five men without blinking.

"This is Eros and your safe. As well as welcomed to willing to risk their life to stick it to Marcus is a brother to me." He smiled and laughed. "That was a great shot you gave him glad I could see that."

Back on the wall of Solara, the female archer stood watching the sun set. Marcus approached from behind. "Why didn't you send the army after them?" He grabbed her shoulder, but this only got a smile out of her.

"I have placed the poisons into him, and he is the one we must turn to our controls the Phantom of the Mist."

"Forget your stupid drug induced visions. They are rotting your brain." He looked her in the eye, she could see his pride was bruised worse than his manhood.

"Patience, he will come to us and join the cause brother."

**Authors notes: I do not own Ark or profit from it in any way. Please support the official release. **


	6. Chapter 6: A Warden in the Making

My back was placed firmly to Zero's, as four raptors slowly circled around us. They tightened their path with each ellipse they made. One gave a false lunge in my direction, which pulled a slowed response from my tired body. The shaft of my newly made spear was soaked with my sweat.

"Well Zero, what is the plan?" I asked as a smacked the snout of one of the raptors with spear's shaft.

"Kill them?" He inquired with a hopeful smile. This made me chuckle as he swatted a raptor across the head with edge of his sword, drawing a deep gash above its eye. The raptor pulled back yelping, but soon it returned with a newly forming scar where Zero's sword had bit. "Damnit!" He blurted out as the raptor lunged back at him.

We quickly spun around and I placed my spear down the beast's throat piercing out the back and pulling a choked gurgle as it slumped down dead. With a strained twist and jerk, I pulled the blade free, but another raptor soon took its place.

My eyes drifted off to the surrounding woods waiting for the big red bastard that started this to reappear. This particular raptor was not your run of the mill pest, but was an alpha. And from the way Zero explained it, they are a nasty subspecies that just appears sometimes. They are bigger and stronger than a regular raptor while also having the nasty side effect of healing in minutes instead of days due to a boosted metabolism. In short, they are some tough hungry SOBs to take down.

That is not including their pack mates that tend to travel with them. Something about being with the alpha made them ballsy as hell, as well as meaner than usual. And that's not adding in the fact that the alphas seem to damn near magically cause the other raptors to heal at a quicker pace as well.

I shook the images of this pack tearing a rex apart in only seconds as I caught a glimpse big red bastard. He finally came slinking back out of the bushes, a few arrows still jutting from his side. I watched as he seemed to smirk at us, that smug bastard. He let out a hard cry that made the rest of his merry men fall in line beside him.

"Zero, seems like the ass wagon has come back for round... three?" I asked puzzled as I tried to remember how many times we cornered him only for him to somehow get away.

"Round four, I think." Zero spoke as he took his place beside me, sword ready. I looked at thigh, where the cleaver he called a knife hung. A crude idea came to my mind as the raptors started walking towards us again.

"Let me borrow your knife." I mused as I reached for it. A swift smack to the hand made me jerk back. I looked up at Zero who was a good half a foot taller than me.

"Use your own!" He barked as he prepared to slice up the approaching threat. He wasn't a real strong fellow but what he lacked in raw force, he made up for with speed. The last week we had worked together proved he could handle himself. But as the first attempt showed, his tactic of death by blood lose didn't have an effect on this alpha. It was going to take a strong quick kill to end it.

"My knife won't be able to get to far into its hide before snapping." I quipped back as the first two raptors charged us headfirst. Our movements blurred as we met the attack head on. My spear found its mark under the chin of my assailant, using its own body weight to force the iron tip through its soft pallet and to finally rest in its brain. I turned to watch Zero remove his short sword from base of his raptors throat. It was obvious from the color and scent of the blood, that he had severed several important arteries at the top of the heart. The creature grasped at its open wound, as if that would make the bleeding stop but alas it too, fell silent.

We watched as the last of the alpha's underlings hissed and roared trying to be fierce. Without second thought, I hurled my spear into its chest snuffing its life out in seconds. With a smile, I snagged Zero's butchers' blade before sprinting full speed at the alpha, who seemed shocked that I was actually rushing towards him. With all my weight behind it, I sunk the cruel blade into its shoulder. It yelped and pulled from me to take off for the bushes again only to be flanked by Zero. With all his force, Zero, shoved his sword trough the thigh of the fleeing beast. Its tail lashed out sending Zero to the ground.

"How will you run now?" Zero quipped as the alpha dragged its now almost immobile leg, each motion saw to the cutting of more sinew and muscle as Zero's blade held firm. I soon caught up to it and hefted the chunk of iron. With a sickening shclunk, I severed the alpha's head from its shoulders, finally ending the three day long hunt.

I returned to find Zero not very happy with me. "I am sorry I took your knife." I offered as I cleaned the blade of any remaining gore. lifting the head up and holding it towards him as a sign of good faith. He finally cracked a smile.

"If you like it so much, why not get one crafted for yourself?" He asked as he slipped the weapon back into his thigh sheath. I shrugged. The blade wasn't really my kind of weapon, in honesty I found it to be crude and not effective when it counted.

"I'll stick to my steel blade if you don't mind." I retorted as we finished gathering what we needed to collect the bounty from the elders. They had sent us out here to keep this alpha from attacking the fishermen of the river. Not to long later, we were on our way back to the village. The trip back was less than thrilling as the only thing we ran into was old one eye, his scaly hide was at the river just on the edge of the Redwood.

But like all good things, our easy day would come to a sour end, as when we reached the back gate, someone was waiting. Hera stood at the front gate waiting for us with a look of worry.

"The Band of the Frozen Claw is here wanting both of you." She softly said as she opened the gate. "Marcus put a bounty on both of your heads."

"Damn him!" Growled Zero, as we got within the walls. He looked around. "Where are they?"

"They brought a large group hoping you would come in peacefully." Hera said as we walked towards the front gate. "They brought Savage with them as well as their leader, Bones."

We soon passed through the front gate to see twenty or more men and women with a myriad of giant wolves and sabretooths? What else should I have expected from this place. At the front of the group stood a mountain of a man holding a large battle-axe that seemed to be made of bone or tusk. But what caught my eye more was the black-haired woman at his side brandishing the hunting knife made from a sabre's tooth.

We made our way down there as the youngest of the elders conversed with what I assumed was the leader. The shorter man with a large scar on his cheek seemed rather set on what he wanted. As we closed the gap, I finally could hear what he was saying.

"Marcus wants them both so hand them over or we will destroy this place. Don't tempt my patience old man." He growled at the elder.

"You can piss right off, Bones!" Zero barked over the murmurs of the crowd. Bones turned to us and smiled. He climbed down from his white wolf and walked towards us, with the mountain on legs right behind him.

"Well there are the two curs I am looking for. You have quite a price on both of your heads." He almost cooed with a smile. I thought Zero was going to break his face in with his fist. "Look, come quietly and no blood has to be spilt. But if you want, we can scrap like during the unification wars with that bitch Vera." A small stone struck his helm from behind. My eyes darted to where it came from and there stood the black-haired woman, and she looked pissed. "Lotara you have some nerve; she gave you away to my strongest warrior when he defeated her champion in combat." He squawked with anger.

"Watch your tongue, Bones, just because he won doesn't mean you could beat me." Her tone was soft but still held an edge.

"Why don't we settle this in your fashion?" Zero asked, breaking the tension. "A champion representing my village verses yours. If yours wins, we both come quietly, but if ours win..."

"You can go and fornicate with a cactus!" I interjected, cutting off Zero. He could barely keep a straight face as he tried to give me a scolding look. I just gave him my dazzling smile. We both turned back to Bones who was thinking it over. He smiled.

"Fine you have yourself a deal." He exclaimed as he held out his hand to Zero, who shook it. "But you can not be the fighter." Bones added and Zero's smile vanished.

"You cheating basta..." Zero was cut off by my hand on his shoulder. He looked at me and then slowly nodded. "Fine, nominate your champion."

"I nominate Savage as my champion." Bones boasted as his crowd cheered. The giant smiled with his broken teeth showing as he hefted his monster of a weapon. A crowd had began to form from the village to watch the spectacle.

"I nominate Jean as my champion." Zero declared as I took a step forward sizing up the human...thing in front of me. I barely came up to his shoulder in height. Damn was he big. A circle formed around us as the crowd prepared to watch me die. Lotara walked into the center between us.

"Alright since this is probably the small guy's first fight, I'll explain the rules. Rule one, anything goes and yes that includes eye gouging, nut stomping, and back breaking. Rule two, death is allowed but is frowned upon. Is that understood Savage?" She gave him a look. He gave a dimwitted nod and she continued. "And the final rule is make it a damn good show for everyone." With her final words, she walked away as the crowd cheered.

Savage approached me and offered me a hand. "'ood luck smoll man." He boomed as I took his hand. "Is common to give name to enemy in fight. It is sign of friendship after fight. I am Savage."

"I am Jean." I said softly as we shook hands. He stepped back several feet and laid his axe on his shoulder. Lotara whooped signaling the fight to begin. Before I could react, he was barreling towards me at full speed. I felt the wind off his swing as I rolled sideways. The whistle of the axe flying past me drove my heart into a pounding fit. I jerked my short sword from its sheath and faced him. My eyes went wide as the huge blade came crashing down right in front of me. I looked at him and thanked god that the handle wasn't any longer because had it been it would have split my head clean open. I quickly rushed towards him aiming for his side. With a hard thunk, my blade tried to bite into his side only to find that chunk of bone armor in the way.

"Ahhh shit!" Was all I got out before a huge hand grabbed me by the shirt lifting me a few feet off the ground. With my legs dangling, I was all kinds of fuckered. He gave me a big goofy smile as he lifted me above his head in preparation to shatter me across his knee. In an act of desperation, I slammed the flat of my blade straight against his nose. With a sharp crack, his nose gave way and pain flooded his face. He bellowed in pain and dropped me to the ground, the impact knocked the air from my lungs, but I soon recovered.

I scurried to my once forgotten spear that now laid in the tall grass a few feet away. Getting to my feet with it in hand, I smiled. With a quick lunge and sweep, I barely landed a gash above his eyes. He looked at me confused as he blinked the tears from his eyes.

"What that meant to do?" he asked in confusion. My prayers were soon answered as a huge gush of blood burst forth from the wound and leaked into his eyes. He let out another wail of pain as the blood stung his eyes and he began to swing his axe wildly. I dodged left and right praying he wouldn't split me in half as I closed my approach. Dropping my spear and scooping up my short sword I prepared to end the fight when I saw he cleared one eye. With a huge overhead swing, I saw death approaching.

A cold sensation gripped my heart and mind as my muscles jerked into action. I raised my sword and braced it with my arm as I intercepted the incoming attack. The crowd gasped as the axe blade slid down the face of my sword and slammed hard into the dirt beside me. In an instant, I found myself smashing his knee in with the butt of my sword, bringing him to my level. My blade tip rested at the base of his throat and he swallowed as the cold sensation released my body. The crowd fell silent as he dropped his weapon.

"I yield." He spoke in a quivering voice. I immediately backed up and looked at my hands which were white from how hard I was gripping my weapon. I looked at him as he stood back to his full height and offered me his hand. "You are good." He spoke as we shook hands signifying the end of the match. I was the victor.

Bones cursed as he gathered his people to leave. "This is bullshit, how did that squirt beat Savage?" He then noticed that Lotara grabbing her bag and walking towards me. He ran over and grabbed her arm. "What do you think you are doing?" He barked at her.

"Following the laws of the North. I belong with Jean now." She growled back while smacking his hand away. "Those are the laws and you know it. Now go fornicate with a cactus." She turned and walked straight up to me. "Good fighting tiger." She cooed as she placed a warm kiss on my cheek. I turned bright red as she walked past me.

"W..what are you doing?" I stammered still in shock from the turn of events. I looked at her as she walked towards the gate, hips giving a small swing with each step.

"Didn't you hear me? I am yours now because you beat Savage. Now where is our tent?" She proclaimed in a soft voice. I turned back to Savage who only gave me a nod. I was confused on so many levels. And nothing cleared up when Zero walked up and smacked me on the back.

"Where did you learn to do that?" He asked in surprise. I just shrugged not knowing myself how I did what I did. He just chuckled and walked with me back to the village. "Boy are you full of surprises."

It was the early hours of the night as I sat alone in the steaming spring. My sore muscles enjoyed the hot water as I bathed. There was a knock on the frame and I quickly tried to cover myself when I saw her. Before me, wrapped in a towel, stood Lotara. Her black hair rested on her shoulder as the steam bellowed around her meeting the cool night air. She walked towards me as our eyes locked. Her emerald green eyes glimmered in the torch light as she sat beside me.

"You are strange." She finally let slip as she slowly sloshed the water with her legs.

"You know you don't have to stay with me, right?" I asked her as I moved a little over a bit. "I am a killer and a wanted man by a group of crazy fanatics." I stammered out keeping eye contact. She gave a soft smile.

"Easy tiger, you already won me no need to put further gravy on the meat." She said softly while taking my hand in her cheek. "Anyways, I feel like your more of the man I need in my life." She finished the last word in a whisper as her lips met mine.

**Authors Notes: I do not own Ark Survival E****volved****. please support the official release. **


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